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Welcome To The Members Area! Forums Baby Sleep Help 4 month sleep regression – keeps rolling over when awake Reply To: 4 month sleep regression – keeps rolling over when awake

  • Emma H

    Administrator
    June 19, 2024 at 9:15 pm

    Hi Angela!

    It’s great to hear that you’ve been practicing the settling pyramid and that your little one can often fall asleep with shushing and patting.

    Rolling over is a big milestone, and it’s understandable that it can disrupt her sleep routine.

    Here are some suggestions to help manage this situation:

    1. Encourage Rolling Skills: Keep practicing rolling during the daytime to help her become more comfortable and proficient at rolling back onto her back.

    2. Safe Sleep Environment: Make sure her sleep environment is safe for tummy sleeping. Babies often prefer to sleep on their tummies once they learn to roll over, and as you’ve noticed, they often roll over while they’re sleeping. Since she’s likely to roll over, ensure her crib is free of pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals. It’s also important that she is no longer swaddled, and the mattress she is sleeping on is firm and flat.

    3. Minimise Nighttime Interventions: If she rolls onto her tummy and seems content and she is sleeping in a safe sleeping environment, it’s often best to let her stay in that position. If she becomes distressed, gently roll her back but try to minimise interaction to avoid further stimulating her.

    4. Nursing to Sleep: When she wakes up early in the morning (around 5 am) after rolling onto her tummy, it can be challenging for her to go back to sleep. This is because her circadian rhythm is encouraging her to wake up, and her sleep pressure is low after 8-10 hours of sleep. So, if she wakes at this time, try rolling her back onto her back and settling her with patting and shushing or gentle rocking. If this doesn’t work, feeding her at this time is fine—just keep the lights off while doing so. I expect that once she becomes comfortable sleeping on her tummy, these early morning wakes should stop.

    I hope these tips help!

    Best, Emma